Yakima County, Washington
Yakima County is the second largest county by area in the U.S. state of Washington. It is named after the Yakama tribe of Native Americans. In the 2010 census, its population was 243,231. The county seat is Yakima, which is also its largest city. The Yakama Indian Reservation, the 15th largest reservation in America, covers 1,573 mi² (4,074 km²),[http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=7651 HistroyLink.org: Yakima County – Thumbnail History] comprising 36% of the county's total area. Its population was 31,799 in 2000, and its largest city is Toppenish. Yakima County was formed out of Ferguson County on January 21, 1865. Ferguson County, no longer in existence, had been created from Walla Walla County on January 23, 1863. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 4,312 square miles (11,167 km²), of which 4,296 square miles (11,127 km²) is land and 15 square miles (40 km²) (0.36%) is water. Yakima County is the second largest county in Washington by area. Yakima County is also widely known for being one of the most difficult places on earth to predict weather, because of the mountains that surround it.List of counties in Washington The total area covered by the county is larger than the states of Delaware and Rhode Island combined.List of U.S. states and territories by area The highest point in the county is Mount Adams, which is the second tallest peak in Washington and the third tallest in the entire Cascade Range. Geographic features *Mount Adams, *Gilbert Peak, *Mount Aix, *Tieton Peak, *Cascade Mountains *Rattlesnake Hills *Horse Heaven Hills Major rivers *Yakima River *Columbia River *Naches River *Tieton River *Bumping River *American River National protected areas *Wenatchee National Forest (part) *Gifford Pinchot National Forest (part) *Snoqualmie National Forest (part) *Goat Rocks Wilderness *Mount Adams Wilderness (part) *Norse Peak Wilderness (part) *William O. Douglas Wilderness *Toppenish National Wildlife Refuge Major roads * Interstate 82 * U.S. Route 12 * U.S. Route 97 Adjacent counties *Pierce County, Washington - northwest *Lewis County, Washington - west *Skamania County, Washington - southwest *Kittitas County, Washington - north *Klickitat County, Washington - south *Grant County, Washington - northeast *Benton County, Washington - east Wines regions Washington ranks second in the United States in the production of wine, behind only California.A. Domine (ed) Wine pg 798-800 Ullmann Publishing 2008 ISBN 9783833146114 The Yakima Valley AVA was established in 1983 in the state's oldest agricultural region. It is Washington's third largest officially designated American Viticultural Area (AVA), and is responsible for more than 40% of the state's entire wine production. Located within the larger Columbia Valley AVA, the Yakima Valley AVA is sub-divided into the three smaller wine regions, each with its own distinctive growing conditions. They are known as Red Mountain AVA, Snipes Mountain AVA, and Rattlesnake Hills AVA.J. Robinson (ed) "The Oxford Companion to Wine" Third Edition pg -761-762 Oxford University Press 2006 ISBN 0198609906 Of the viticultural region's , nearly were planted in 2008. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 222,581 people, 73,993 households, and 54,606 families residing in the county. The population density was 52 people per square mile (20/km²). There were 79,174 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 65.60% White, 0.97% Black or African American, 4.48% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 24.43% from other races, and 3.48% from two or more races. 35.90% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 13.2% were of German, 6.4% United States or American, 5.9% English and 5.4% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 73,993 households out of which 39.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.44. In the county, the population was spread out with 31.8% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males. The median income for a household in the county was $34,828, and the median income for a family was $39,746. Males had a median income of $31,620 versus $24,541 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,606. About 14.8% of families and 19.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.2% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over. Census-recognized communities *Ahtanum *Eschbach *Gleed *Grandview *Granger *Harrah *Mabton *Moxee *Naches *Satus *Selah *Summitview *Sunnyside *Terrace Heights *Tieton *Toppenish *Union Gap *Wapato *White Swan *Yakima *Zillah Other communities *Birchfield *Brownstown *Buena *Byron *Cliffdell *Cougar Valley *Cowiche *Donald *East Selah *Fruitvale *Goose Prairie *Harwood *Nile *Outlook *Parker *Pinecliff *Pomona *Rimrock *Sawyer *Tampico *Weikel Historical communities *Alfalfa *Artesian *Ashue *Belma *Black Rock *Emerald *Empire *Farron *Flint *Fort Simcoe *Givens Corner *Gromore *Holtzinger *Jonathan *Liberty *Lichty *Midvale *Nass *Plainview *Spitzenberg *Venner *Waneta *Wenas *Wiley City *Yethonat Sources: [http://search.tpl.lib.wa.us/wanames/wpnv2.asp Tacoma Public Library, Washington Place Names]USGS U.S. Board of Geographic Names See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in Yakima County, Washington References Further reading * Available online through the Washington State Library's Classics in Washington History collection External links *Yakima County, official county site *Yakima Valley Visitors Bureau *Washington Wine Commission Category:Yakima County, Washington Category:Established in 1865